Railway Telecomms

The railways were the first to adopt the fledgling telegraph in the last
century. Throughout their history they have adopted new technology in
telecomms as a means of improving their business operations and, most
importantly, increasing the safety of the running of trains.

First is a section about railway telecomms hardware, starting with an article about a subject that has kept me employed for the past thirty years -

A series of articles about another subject that has kept me employed for over thirty years. The first part is a short history of the need for a telephone system at automatic crossings. The second part is a more detailed description of the Plessey post-Hixon system with a page devoted to dismantling the telephone. Finally, a description of the Whiteley PETS developed about 1990 to replace the Plessey system.

Starts with a description of the purpose of Control on the Railways illustrated with pictures from the 1920s. The second article explains the need for a special telephone system for control purposes with a description of one such system from STC, and finally there is a description of the rival system from GEC.

A simple and reliable telegraph using a variation on the Morse code, but
with the resilience of double current working. The block telephone is a means of piggy-backing a telephone circuit on a simple earth-return bell connection between signalboxes.

These photos were rescued by Bob Freshwater from the former Peel-Connor factory before it was demolished. They record some of GEC's railway telephohe equipment installed from the 1930s through to the 1950s. The early ones are of electrical control installations. The later ones are train control offices and equipment.

The files are presented in a series of photo galleries.

Railway Special Systems

Some systems developed to cater for the special needs of railway administrations.

An "Exchange" is a place where a switchboard is provided in connection
with a number of offices, etc., where telephonic communication is
established, the switchboard being used to connect the various places with each other.

A "Line" consists of the wires connecting any two places
where telephonic communication is established.

A video transcribed from a print of a British Transport Films 16mm print describing the telecommunications behind TOPS, the fleet control computer system adopted by BR in the 1970s. Also included is 'A new way to communicate', a user's guide to the National Radio Network handportables.